Author Archive
Use Hot Water To Make Crystal Clear Ice Cubes
Ice made from cold water looks cloudy because air that is trapped in the water become suspended in the ice. If you boil water before pouring it in the ice cube trays, you release most or all of the air that would otherwise be trapped in the water — making the ice cubes crystal clear.
Crystal clear ice cubes look great when used with designer ice cube trays. For any holiday or event, designer ice cubes are a cool thing to entertain guests and spark conversation.
Ikea has a few designer ice cube trays that you can pickup or Amazon has hundreds available for delivery, including: Christmas Trees and Snowmen, Penguins, Ice Invaders, Peace Signs, Hearts, Homer Simpson, Stewie (Family Guy), Stars, Skull and Crossbones, Butterflies, Dinosaurs …etc. They even have molds to make Shot Glasses and Stir Sticks out of ice.
Another secret: the ice cube trays can also be used as Jello molds!
Remember, you’ll have to boil water to make it hot because you can’t use hot water from the tap – explained here.
BrokenSecrets.com
Sources: Illinois Dept Physics
Sarcastic Secret #1: Walk Left Stand Right
This is my first Sarcastic Secret, so I should explain that this category is reserved for things that most people already know — things that shouldn’t be a secret, but remain unknown or unclear to some.
Standing is acceptable when you’re on an escalator or moving sidewalk,and sometimes unavoidable. But, standers should stay to the right and leave the left side open so others may pass. You wouldn’t block the left “passing” lane on the highway, and you shouldn’t block it on foot-ways either.
It’s common to see signs reminding people of this rule and I support the people at Detroit’s McNamara Terminal who take this rule very seriously — they painted a line down the center of the moving sidewalk along with the words “walk” and “stand” on the appropriate sides.
Although I took this photo in Detroit’s airport in April ’08, apparently Kansas City has similar dedication to the walk left stand right rule of order in their airport.
BrokenSecrets.com
SF Photo: ATIS547 (CC) | Sources: Juxtaexposed
Prevent Snow Buildup on Your Shovel
Snow can be wet and sticky. Shoveling that heavy snow is bad enough without extra snow buildup on the shovel. The secret is to lightly spray the inside of your dry shovel with WD-40.
“WD” stands for Water Displacement and it is the fortieth attempt at developing a substance to prevent rust and corrosion on the Atlas missile and rocket family. Basically, it was developed by rocket scientists. So, if you need to displace water (snow) then this is your answer.
There is a rumor that WD-40 is based on fish oil, but it is in fact a petroleum based product. The exact formula is such a big secret, it is not even patented, which means the ingredients are not publicly documented. Although, with some digging I found a Material Safety Data Sheet, which is required in some countries in case someone swallows it or gets it in their eyes. The two main ingredients are Aliphatic Hydrocarbon and the Petroleum Base Oil.
It also looks like they brought some of those rocket scientists back to develop a straw that is impossible to misplace (see photo).
Broken Secrets | By: Chad Upton
Locking the Gas Pump Trigger
UPDATE: It is illegal in some places to leave the gas pump while filling your tank. After doing some further research, it appears this is done for two reasons. 1. To prevent you from getting back in your vehicle, which can cause a static buildup that could cause a spark (and fire) when you touch the pump handle again. 2. To ensure you are nearby if the auto-stop fails and fuel begins to spill. So, even if your station provides a locking mechanism, the safest option is to hold the handle while filling.
If you’re like me then you like to lock the fuel pump trigger so you can clean all the garbage out of your car while the tank is filling.
Some gas stations remove the device that locks the trigger so you can’t walk away from the pump while it’s filling. But, there is a secret to locking the trigger without the built-in mechanism: stick your gas cap under the trigger.
That’s it. Now you can do other things while your tank is filling, like tidy your trunk or complain about gas prices with some sucker who is attached to their pump.
Keep an eye on your pump and use this tip at your own risk.
How Mechanics Keep Their Hands Clean
It’s pretty simple, they don’t get them dirty in the first place.
Imagine how dirty our feet would be if we walked around in bare feet. Socks and shoes keep our feet clean. Professionals who work with their hands wear gloves for the same reason. At the end of the day, take off the gloves and your hands are clean.
Work gloves in most homes consist of gardening and rubber cleaning gloves. But why stop there? Pickup a box of latex gloves, they’re great for all kinds of dirty jobs such as:
- Painting
- Automotive repairs
- Cleaning the garage
- Organizing the attic
- Caulking and other home maintenance
Latex gloves are extremely cheap, they’re disposable and they don’t reduce dexterity like thick rubber gloves.
If you’ve ever seen a race-car garage, they’re usually immaculate. So are the mechanic’s hands.
There are even specialized gloves for mechanics. Frankly, if you’ve been paying attention at your local hardware store, work gloves have become very advanced and extremely specialized. I’ve made a short list of some specific types of job specific gloves that are available, along with an amazon link if you want to check them out:
Some of the electrician’s gloves are made from Kevlar to prevent cuts from sharp wires. The carpenter’s gloves reduce splinters and vibration when hammering.
I have a good pair of work gloves and a box of latex gloves. I wear the work gloves when I’m working in my garage. They keep my hands clean and free of cuts when I’m doing manly stuff. I find the latex gloves really great for spray painting outdoor furniture and other items, since I always get spray paint on my index finger, which usually lasts for at least a week.
Depending on your needs, many of these gloves are even available in insulted, wind proof and water proof versions.
BrokenSecrets.com
Casino Carpets Are Ugly So You Gamble More
The same goes for the ceilings. Look at the carpet and ceiling in the photo below.
The carpet is so busy and obnoxious, it’s actually hard to stare at — so you look up. The ceiling does the same thing with bright lights and focusing shapes, so you look down. What do you see? People gambling. That’s the only thing they want you to think about.
There is even a professor at the University of Nevada who wants casino carpet hermeneutics as a legitimate academic discourse.
Fitting a bland or unsightly carpet, along with bright, sterile lighting allows the player to focus on any number of games, whether it is a bit of Texas hold’em or even a spot of Omaha Hi. Garish flooring designs of this kind have also been proven to offer players something of a ‘wake-up’ effect without the need for coffee or other less natural stimulants.
It all adds to the bright lights and big inviting noises that make casinos such a great place for poker games, slots and familiar games like roulette and blackjack. This assault on the senses not only ensures that players remain alert, engaged and enthralled but that they also keep coming back for more.
The effect of this combination of lighting and carpet is further enhanced by the lack of windows within the majority of casinos – with proprietors eager to confuse players into not knowing what time it is and how long they have been gambling.
The busy carpet has another advantage, it camouflages stains. Casino carpets get vacuumed once a day, usually between 3am and 6am so they need to hide dirt the rest of the time. In fact, anytime you see really busy fabrics in high traffic areas (office buildings, hotels, malls, theaters, etc.), they’re often selected for their stain hiding abilities.
Big thanks to Todd M for submitting this secret!
Photo: Old Shoe Woman (CC) | Sources: AC, SFGate, MeetingsNet
Defog Your Bathroom Mirror In 30 Seconds
You’re running late, so you try to have a quick shower. Then you get out of the shower and the mirror is foggy. That means you can’t do your mirror activities (shaving, hair, makeup…etc). Forget wiping it with a towel, that leaves a lot of streaks and the mirror will still be a bit foggy.
The secret to defogging your mirror quickly, without any streaks: use a hairdryer. Set both the heat and blower on high and aim at the mirror directly in front of your face. In 30 seconds, the hot air will perfectly clear a big enough space to get you back on track.
If you’ve ever stayed in a fancy hotel, you may have noticed that part of the mirror never fogs up. These hotels have a mirror heater installed behind the mirror so it never fogs up.
There are some sites that claim wiping foam shaving cream on windows keeps them fog free, but I haven’t confirmed this. Please comment if you’ve tried it. You can also buy Rain-X anti-fog for your bathroom mirror or car windshield from amazon.
Broken Secrets
Written By: Chad Upton
[available on Kindle]
Photo: add1sun (Creative Commons)
How to Properly Focus Your Digital Camera
If you’re like me, you know how awesome it is when a stranger offers to take your picture on vacation. But, they can easily undo the awesome if they don’t know how to focus.
I wouldn’t consider myself an expert, but I used to sell digital cameras back in college and I’ve owned half a dozen or so. Frankly, if you’re reading this then you probably think you have something to learn. Maybe a lot (or all) of your photos are blurry?
It usually takes a moment for your camera to properly focus on the subject, so if you press the shutter release button hard and expect a good picture instantly, then you’re betting on a long shot.
Most digital cameras have a number of different focus modes — the automatic mode is common for casual users. To initiate auto focus, you must press the shutter release button half way. Most cameras have a green light on the back of the camera or inside the viewfinder that will blink while the camera is focusing. The green light will stop flashing when the camera has focused on the subject. Most cameras also beep at this time. Once the green light is solid, press the shutter release button down the rest of the way to take the picture.
Viola. You’re in focus.
PS – Can we simplify “digital cameras” to just “cameras” yet?
BrokenSecrets.com
Photo: Dr. Pat (Creative Commons) | More info: DigicamHelp
Idling a Cold Engine Is GOOD For The Environment
You may notice when you start a cold vehicle, its exhaust is visible at first and disappears after a few minutes. Here’s why.
Technically, modern vehicles do not require much warm up time before you can drive them; advanced lubricants and materials allow the vehicles to be driven shortly after a cold weather start. Of course, you may want to warm your car for your comfort and surprisingly, to reduce emissions.
This is not intuitive, unless you understand the emission control systems on modern vehicles.
The first system is called Exhaust Gas Recirculation, and it’s probably obvious from the name: it routes exhaust gases back into the engine. The vehicle computer system monitors and controls this process to lower the amount of Nitrogen Oxides, precursors to smog and acid rain, that are created in the engine and then expelled from the tailpipe. Depending on your vehicle, this system will not operate in certain conditions, for example: low engine temperatures.
Vehicles also have a component in their exhaust system that converts various pollutants into less harmful gases with various catalysts. That conversion occurs in the catalytic converter, and that chemical reaction doesn’t happen when the catalytic converter is cold.
According to WP, some catalytic converters can take up to thirty-minutes to reach ideal operating temperature. That isn’t to suggest you should wait that long before driving your car — there are countermeasures in many cars that make it effective long before that.
When your car is at idle, it uses less gas and releases less pollution than when you are driving it. Getting your emission system to an effective point before driving it helps reduce overall emissions. For my car, it take about 3-5 minutes before the exhaust is invisible and that’s about how long it takes to clear the snow anyway. It’s not an exact science and it varies by car and by temperature.
BrokenSecrets.com
Photo: steveyb (Creative Commons)
One Side of Toilet Paper is Softer Than the Other
This is important, because most people are pretty adamant about the proper orientation of toilet paper. There are two ways you can put toilet paper on a roll. According to the following video, there is a right way and a wrong way.
They believe the over method is the right way, because it’s easier to find the end of the roll. I agree, it is easier to find the end of the roll using the over method.
Based on a poll at families.com, the over method is most popular. However, from reading the comments it looks fairly even, perhaps even more people are in favor of the under method.
For most of my life, I thought over was the correct method. But one day, someone on the under side revealed a secret: one side is softer than the other, and if you use the over method you’re probably not using the soft side.
I was in disbelief. There was no way I could be wrong on this issue. Why would anyone intentionally hang toilet paper in any way other than the way that is easiest to find the end of the roll?
I checked my toilet paper immediately. I rubbed each side on the back of my hand and it was clear, one side was much softer than the other. Then I roll played.
I acted out how I normally unroll toilet paper. It was true, I was not using the soft side!
I instantly changed my preference from over to under. It wasn’t until later that I started to think about how long I had been using the rough side.
The really cheap and thin commercial toilet paper is torture on both sides, but if you have anything but that stuff then it’s most likely softer on one side. Check it out for yourself.
People with cats often prefer the under method because it’s much more difficult for cats to get it off the roll. It’s a good thing we’re smarter and more dexterous than cats.
BrokenSecrets.com
Photos (creative commons): Aaron Landry | s e l v i n
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